Layne Norton's VIP Camp Part II: Another Incredible Event!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in Layne Norton's VIP Camp in late June this year. Last year's camp was amazing, and introduced me to some of the best scientists in the U.S. in the field of hypertrophy and bodybuilding nutrition. This year's camp promised to be even better, with the addition of Dr. Joe Klemczewski and perhaps the most decorated natural bodybuilder in history, Philip Ricardo Jr.

The campers (which included people from all over the globe - and quite a few from Australia) and pros all met up in Tampa on a Thursday evening. It was great to see so many familiar faces from the natural bodybuilding world, and Layne and his wife Isabel once again did an outstanding job planning out all the events and making sure everything ran smoothly. This was no small feat considering that Isabel was about 8 months pregnant! After a group dinner on Thursday night, it was time to get down to business on Friday. I was partnered with some intense Australians who both set PRs as we squatted and deadlifted, and I was happy with a 425 x 5 squat on my last set that day.

Friday afternoon was spent on campus at the University of Tampa in Dr. Jake Wilson's lab, taking quad measurements and listening to awesome lectures about the latest news in the world of bodybuilding science. I was particularly impressed with Dr. Wilson's recent research on the benefits of band / chain training as well as incorporating a varied version of "extreme stretching" into your training routine. I will be thinking quite a bit more about the best way to include these in my current split. The campers were also lucky to hear more about Daily Undulating Periodization from Ben Esgro, recent studies into the benefits of a ketogenic diet from Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, and an awesome look into the mindset of one of the most promising young bodybuilders out there, Ryan Doris. Of course Dr. Joe's famous lecture on "Perfect Peaking" went over well, and my own lecture on "A Visual Progression of Dieting" walked the campers through the changes in my physique as I diet down into contest shape.

Again, the science and analytical way of thinking about bodybuilding is what sets this camp apart from all others like it. Layne is to be commended for recognizing the demand for this type of event.

Saturday and Sunday were also filled with some incredible lifts (including Layne's 675 x 3 sumo deadlift!) and great Q&A sessions as the campers picked the brains of people like Layne, Dr. Joe, Dr. Wilson, Philip Ricardo Jr. Dave Goodin, and Alberto Nunez.

I chose to save my deadlift session for Sunday when I was able to accomplish perhaps my most impressive lifts to date...

Here is a video of my 605 x 5 sumo deadlift:

And another of my 635 x 2: 

I am amazed to say this but I think I had a little more in me! That kind of atmosphere is just awesome, everyone was cheering each PR attempt and the intensity / comradarie was inspiring to say the least. Here is a nice compilation video of some of the other lifts from the camp, and another one featuring the amazing Philip Ricardo Jr. interviewing me about the camp.

Great job Layne and Isabel! Thanks to everyone who participated. I am already looking forward to coming back next year!!

Kurt Weidner article: Slow and Steady Progress

My good friend Kurt Weidner authored the article below and posted it to his site. I thought it was outstanding, and offers some insight into the mindset of a natural bodybuilder as his career evolves.

Plus, the link between economics and bodybuilding is fantastic! I've always thought it was interesting that Doug Miller, Kurt Weidner, and myself hold economics degrees...now if I could just deadlift 500 x 20 like those guys.

- Me and Kurt backstage at the 2012 WNBF Worlds

When I was in my twenties, progress in terms of muscular development and strength was easy to come by. For instance, I would have periods where I was able to set PRs every single week in the gym. There were several factors that contributed to this. First, as a young amateur competitor, there was plenty of room for improvement. Second, my body’s recovery capability at that point in my life was exceptional. Lastly, I had not yet sustained as much long term wear and tear on my tendons and joints, so nothing was ever interfering with my ability to train with maximum intensity. In other words, it was easier to enable muscle growth regardless of what approach I took, as long as I maximized my input.

At 37 years old, having trained for over 20 years, improvements to my physique come at a much steeper price. I once taught Economics and I can therefore parallel this idea to the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns. This law states that with other inputs fixed in the short run, as you increase the variable input, total output will increase, but at a decreasing rate (this is typically used to analyze the effects on output of an increase in labor in the short run while capital remains fixed). This can otherwise be termed as declining marginal productivity. This is similar to what I have experienced over the course of my bodybuilding career. As I have continued to allocate more resources towards the relentless pursuit of excellence in improving my physique, greater and greater inputs have yielded smaller results over my sixteen year bodybuilding career.

There are, however, two things to realize here. First off, even though progress increases at a decreasing rate over time, it still continues to increase as long as you’re keeping up with input. Second, the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns is specific to the short run where other inputs such as capital are fixed. In Economics, this can be offset by changes in physical and intellectual capital, technology, etc. in the long run, which enables greater output with the same level of input. This means periodic enhancements of the capital infrastructure can reset the equation.

So how does this translate to bodybuilding and making progress with one’s physique? In the long run with training, more inputs become variable as well (rather than fixed). These include: access to new information, implementation of new training and nutritional methodologies, use of new equipment and implementation of new exercises or new approaches to the same exercises. Just as companies must adapt in order to increase the production possibilities frontier, we as physique athletes must adapt our approaches to continue pushing the limits of our genetic potential.

There are two important points to recognize here: First, long run total output is the product of consistent input over a long period of time. Second, one must recognize when short run output potential has been maximized (marginal cost = marginal benefit) and be open-minded enough to adapt and manipulate other variables (implementation of new methodologies, exercises, etc). The bottom line is that while effort is important, it is not enough to make you a successful competitor in the second and third decade of your career. It’s not always about training harder…sometimes you need to train smarter. Applying ridiculous levels of effort with the same old methods will not only stop yielding positive results, but can actually detract from total output (consistent with the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, which states that at a point increasing input in the short term will yield negative returns). It’s easy to make progress in the early years of your career. Continuing to make gains in the later years, when you’re approaching your theoretical genetic potential, requires periodic innovation. When you look at the upper echelon of competitive natural bodybuilding, the margins that decipher between the top pros get smaller and smaller. The great ones are those who find a way to continue to improve!